Medical marijuana availability doesn’t increase teen use, study finds

Neighborhoods with medical cannabis dispensaries near schools have not seen an increase in illegal teen use, according to new findings.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers found no increase in the rate of adolescent marijuana use in areas where dispensaries are accessible within three miles of a school.

Experts from UC San Diego’s Department of Family Medicine and Public Health surveyed over 46,000 students from 117 randomly selected schools in California to determine their results.

“We reported null associations of the proximity and density of medical marijuana dispensaries in school neighborhoods with adolescents’ use,” the study concluded. “However, competition from medical marijuana dispensaries could have reduced the price of marijuana on the street and adolescents’ marijuana use may be influenced indirectly. This possible mechanism is worth further investigation.”

2016 data from the Centers for Disease Control found that adult use is on the rise, while this particular study found that the rate of teen marijuana use is steadily dropping.

“The lack of relationship between the availability of medical marijuana dispensaries and marijuana use behaviors among the adolescent population is inconsistent with previous research on the adult population,” the researchers wrote. “This discrepancy may be due to medical marijuana dispensaries not being the primary source of marijuana for adolescents.”

Although the study contradicts concerns from legalization opponents, researchers say that their findings “should not be used as evidence against marijuana regulation strategies such as licensing, zoning ordinances, taxation, or policies to limit product type.”

Smell The Truth is one of the internet’s most popular destinations for cannabis-related news and culture. This blog is not written or edited by SFGate or the San Francisco Chronicle. The authors are solely responsible for the content.

Smell The Truth

Smell The Truth is one of the internet's most popular destinations for cannabis-related news and culture. This blog is not written or edited by SFGate or the San Francisco Chronicle. The authors are solely responsible for the content.